By Elizabeth Willoughby on
Neil Young's songs are getting a makeover – by women. A group of over 20 female singers, including Tanya Donelly, Jill Sobule and Lori McKenna, are redoing Young’s most popular, pre-1980 acoustic ballads, giving a feminine touch to his deeply insightful lyrics. The collection, called Cinnamon Girl, will benefit Casting for Recovery, a cancer charity.
Casting For Recovery (CFR) provides weekend retreats for breast cancer survivors. The retreats are located throughout the United States where women come together for social support and group interaction. And to learn fly fishing. For no cost to the participants, they receive room and board, professional counseling and health care and the techniques learned in fly fishing provide gentle exercise for joint and soft tissue mobility.
One grateful participant summed up her weekend with CFR: “My body is tired but my spirit is renewed. I leave with memories of strong, beautiful women and a new experience to build on. I leave with the information that will help me to continue on as a survivor.”
Her statement makes Young’s lyrics even more poignant as the double CD opens with Heart of Gold and the words “I want to live.”
As one survivor puts it, “You’ve given me friends, new skills, and new hope.”
Copyright © 2008 Look to the Stars
